Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Yep I know it is Npvemeber and I am posting Octobers Challenge sigh. With Lucy still needing lots of extra work due to her bad reflux and feeding via a tube, I had it cooked not long after the posting date but it is only now I have a spare 2 minutes to post.

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

I made the chicken variation as I have long been a fan of the beef pho. And it was devine and so easy.Here are my spices ready to dry roast and onion and ginger to char. The charring was a new thing to me and made the ginger smell great.All of my condiments for the soup ready to go

The final pho

Pho:

1. You like: chicken, beef, pork, seafood or vegetarian/vegan.

2. There is no variation allowed with regard to seasoning. You must use the spices listed in the recipe and they must be toasted. (Only leeway here is if you cannot use the spices for health/dietary reasons.) *Note: Use same spices as listed in the chicken Pho recipe for pork, seafood and vegetarian/vegan variations. The beef variation lists it’s unique spices in the recipe.

To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.

In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.

Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.

Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.

Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.

Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.

Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonfulof Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular DobosTorte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: ExquisiteDesserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Yikes I am late in gtting this up, my excuses are sick kids and two, not one but two computors going to heavan in the space of 4 days.Anyhow it worked out that one the weekend after the finish of the challenge I went home to my parents as we were having a 40th wedding anniversary dinner for them and I took advantage of the extra babysitting you get with grandparents.This was I little tricky for me as the butter cream did not work to start with and needed a little extra butter to make it work. Also the carame did not quite go to hard crack so the layer sagged a little.I also made a white chocolate buttercream instead of chocolate.My little by helped in the end cleaning up by licking as much of the buttercream as he could get his hands on.

Equipment

2 baking sheets

9” (23cm) springform tin and 8” cake tin, for templates

mixing bowls (1 medium, 1 large)

a sieve

a double boiler (a large saucepan plus a large heat-proof mixing bowl which fits snugly over the top of the pan)

a small saucepan

a whisk (you could use a balloon whisk for the entire cake, but an electric hand whisk or stand mixer will make life much easier)

metal offset spatula

sharp knife

a 7 1/2” cardboard cake round, or just build cake on the base of a sprinfrom tin.

NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

The recipe is Rice with Mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes by Jose Andres from the tv cooking show Made in Spain.

I really liked this recipe, I did however need to make afew adjustments so my 2 1/2 year old son would eat it. Which he did by the bowl full. I substituted chicken for the cuttlefish and asparagus for the artichokes. The rest was the same I was keen to make the Allioli that is served with this meal, the first time however I tried the traditional method and it wold not come together but we had a lovely garlic oil over the paella. The second time I used the blender and it made a thick allioli. I have made this dish twice and will be making it lots more. YUM

This is the sofregit cooking down

One of the things I loved about this recipe was once the sofregit is made it is a quick and easy one pot meal that looks fabulas.

This is my finished product eaten till we could eat no more it was so yummy

Rice with Mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes

Cooking Time : 45 minEquipment:

1 Chopping Board

1 knife

1 medium saucepan

1 Paella pan (30 cm/11” is enough for 4 people. If not available, you may use a simple pan that size)

1 Saucepan

Ingredients (serves 4):

4 Artichokes (you can use jarred or freezed if fresh are not available)

12 Mushrooms (button or Portobello)

1 or 2 Bay leaves (optional but highly recommended)

1 glass of white wine

2 Cuttlefish (you can use freezed cuttlefish or squid if you don’t find it fresh)

“Sofregit” (see recipe below)

300 gr (2 cups) Short grain rice (Spanish types Calasparra or Montsant are preferred, but you can choose any other short grain. This kind of rice absorbs flavor very well) – about 75 gr per person ( ½ cup per person) Please read this for more info on suitable rices.

Water or Fish Stock (use 1 ½ cup of liquid per ½ cup of rice)

Saffron threads (if you can’t find it or afford to buy it, you can substitute it for turmeric or yellow coloring powder)

Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and put the cuttlefish in the pan.

If you use fresh artichokes, clean them as shown in the video in tip #7. Cut artichokes in eights.

Clean the mushrooms and cut them in fourths.

Add a bay leaf to the cuttlefish and add also the artichokes and the mushrooms.

Sauté until we get a golden color in the artichokes.

Put a touch of white wine so all the solids in the bottom of the get mixed, getting a more flavorful dish.

Add a couple or three tablespoons of sofregit and mix to make sure everything gets impregnated with the sofregit.

Add all the liquid and bring it to boil.

Add all the rice. Let boil for about 5 minutes in heavy heat.

Add some saffron thread to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. Stir a little bit so the rice and the other ingredients get the entire flavor. If you’re using turmeric or yellow coloring, use only 1/4 teaspoon.

Turn to low heat and boil for another 8 minutes (or until rice is a little softer than “al dente”)

Put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand a couple of minutes.

Sofregit (a well cooked and fragrant sauce made of olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and onions, and may at timesdifferent vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms)-

Cooking time: aprox. 1 hourIngredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

5 big red ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 small onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped (optional)

4 or 5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup of button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped (optional)

1 Bay leaf

Salt

Touch of ground cumin

Touch of dried oregano

Directions:

Put all the ingredients together in a frying pan and sauté slowly until all vegetables are soft.

Taste and salt if necessary (maybe it’s not!)

Allioli is the optional part of the recipe. You must choose one of the two recipes given, even though I highly recommend you to try traditional one. Allioli is served together with the rice and it gives a very nice taste

Allioli (Traditional recipe)Cooking time: 20 min aprox.Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, peeled

Pinch of salt

Fresh lemon juice (some drops)

Extra-virgin olive oil (Spanish preferred but not essential)

Directions:

Place the garlic in a mortar along with the salt.

Using a pestle, smash the garlic cloves to a smooth paste. (The salt stops the garlic from slipping at the bottom of the mortar as you pound it down.)

Add the lemon juice to the garlic.

Drop by drop; pour the olive oil into the mortar slowly as you continue to crush the paste with your pestle.

Keep turning your pestle in a slow, continuous circular motion in the mortar. The drip needs to be slow and steady. Make sure the paste soaks up the olive oil as you go.

Keep adding the oil, drop by drop, until you have the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise. If your allioli gets too dense, add water to thin it out. This takes time—around 20 minutes of slow motion around the mortar—to create a dense, rich sauce.

Monday, July 27, 2009

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

I chose the Milan cookies. They are a lovely easy cookie, liked by big and little people. Infact I made them last week for some friends who came over with their kids. My little monster was promised some if he ate his lunch which he did. He ate one with great gusto and while we were chatting and not paying attention he dilagently licked all the filling from the rest of the cookies.I found that if there was any air bubbles they did not loos as pretty and mine are a little brown around the edges as I liked them better crisper. I also added more cream to the fillling as I thought the filling to strong for the toddlers helping eat these yummy coockies.

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a tart dating back centuries from the United Kingdom. This was a fabulas challenge enjoyed by the cook and the recipients of the tart. As i have a passionfruit vine growing in my gargen which was fruiting really well I made a Passionfruit curdBakewell tart. It was served with cream at my friend Prue's birthday dinner.Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out.Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll.When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.Preheat oven to 200C/400F.Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base.Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart.Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes.Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish.Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutesResting time: 30 minutes (minimum)Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film225g (8oz) all purpose flour30g (1oz) sugar2.5ml (½ tsp) salt110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)2 (2) egg yolks2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold waterSift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutesEquipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened125g (4.5oz) icing sugar3 (3) eggs2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract125g (4.5oz) ground almonds30g (1oz) all purpose flourCream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

My very first Daring Cook challenge, chinese dumplings or pot stickers hosted by Jen from "use real butter". These were great I really enjoyed making these. I made a chicken version served with a soy ginger garlic sauce.

The pastry was easy to make and I had no problems rolling it out thin or pleating the dumplings.I had some friends over to help eat the dumplings and sadly there was no left overs.

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side

Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

Monday, June 8, 2009

The first Daring Cooks Challenge was in April but I have only joined the Daring Cooks for the May challenge, stay tuned for that one. But since the April challenge looked so good I decided to have a go. It was Ricotta Gnocchi. I have only ever made potato gnocchi which is tasty but very heavy. This appealed to me as I love ricotta, I am interested in cheese making and I was able to make my own fresh ricotta. It was sooo good, light and delicate. I made a traditional pesto to use as the sauce. Unsurprising as it may seem there was none left over.

I drained the ricotta for about 6 hours and thought it would be dry enough but needed to add a little extra egg to make the dough stable and not fall apart while cooked it.

This is the homemade ricotta draining in muslin cloth.

The dough is very soft and needs a light touch to form them.

Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi

Source: From The Zuni Café Cookbook

Yield: Makes 40 to 48 gnocchi (serves 4 to 6)

Prep time: Step 1 will take 24 hours. Steps 2 through 4 will take approximately 1hour.

Tips:1. If you can find it, use fresh ricotta. As Judy Rodgers advises in her recipe,there is no substitute for fresh ricotta. It may be a bit more expensive, butit's worth it.2. Do not skip the draining step. Even if the fresh ricotta doesn't look very wet,it is. Draining the ricotta will help your gnocchi tremendously.3. When shaping your gnocchi, resist the urge to over handle them. It's okay ifthey look a bit wrinkled or if they're not perfectly smooth.4. If you're not freezing the gnocchi for later, cook them as soon as you can. Ifyou let them sit around too long they may become a bit sticky.5. For the variations to the challenge recipe, please see the end of the recipe.

Step 1 (the day before you make the gnocchi): Preparing the ricotta.If the ricotta is too wet, your gnocchi will not form properly. In her cookbook,Judy Rodgers recommends checking the ricotta’s wetness. To test the ricotta, takea teaspoon or so and place it on a paper towel. If you notice a very large ring ofdampness forming around the ricotta after a minute or so, then the ricotta is toowet. To remove some of the moisture, line a sieve with cheesecloth or paper towelsand place the ricotta in the sieve. Cover it and let it drain for at least 8 hours and upto 24 hours in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can wrap the ricotta carefully incheesecloth (2 layers) and suspend it in your refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours with abowl underneath to catch the water that’s released. Either way, it’s recommendedthat you do this step the day before you plan on making the gnocchi

Step 2 (the day you plan on eating the gnocchi):

Making the gnocchi dough.To make great gnocchi, the ricotta has to be fairly smooth. Place the drained ricottain a large bowl and mash it as best as you can with a rubber spatula or a largespoon (it’s best to use a utensil with some flexibility here). As you mash thericotta, if you noticed that you can still see curds, then press the ricotta through astrainer to smooth it out as much as possible.Add the lightly beaten eggs to the mashed ricotta.Melt the tablespoon of butter. As it melts, add in the sage if you’re using it. If not,just melt the butter and add it to the ricotta mixture.Add in any flavouring that you’re using (i.e., nutmeg, lemon zest, etc.). If you’renot using any particular flavouring, that’s fine.Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the salt.Beat all the ingredients together very well. You should end up with a soft andfluffy batter with no streaks (everything should be mixed in very well).

Step 3: Forming the gnocchi.

Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil. When it boils, salt the watergenerously and keep it at a simmer. You will use this water to test the first gnocchithat you make to ensure that it holds together and that your gnocchi batter isn’t toodamp. In a large, shallow baking dish or on a sheet pan, make a bed of all-purpose flourthat’s ½ an inch deep. With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre of your bowl. Using a tablespoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 teaspoons of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your finger tip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour.At this point you can either shake the dish or pan gently to ensure that the flourcovers the gnocchi or use your fingers to very gently dust the gnocchi with flour.Gently pick up the gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form it in an ovalas best as you can, at no point should you squeeze it. What you’re looking for is anoval lump of sorts that’s dusted in flour and plump.Gently place your gnocchi in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to thetop. From the time that it bobs to the surface, you want to cook the gnocchi untilit’s just firm. This could take 3 to 5 minutes. If your gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means that the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a teaspoon of egg white into your gnocchi batter. If your gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy,add a teaspoon of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in.Test a second gnocchi to ensure success.Form the rest of your gnocchi. You can put 4 to 6 gnocchi in the bed of flour at atime. But don’t overcrowd your bed of flour or you may damage your gnocchi asyou coat them. Have a sheet pan ready to rest the formed gnocchi on. Line the sheet pan with wax or parchment paper and dust it with flour. You can cook the gnocchi right away, however, Judy Rodgers recommends storing them in the refrigerator for an hour prior to cooking to allow them to firm up.

Step 4: Cooking the gnocchi.

Have a large skillet ready to go. Place the butter and water for the sauce in theskillet and set aside.In the largest pan or pot that you have (make sure it’s wide), bring at least 2 quartsof water to a boil (you can use as much as 3 quarts of water if your pot permits).You need a wide pot or pan so that your gnocchi won’t bump into each other anddamage each other.Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.Drop the gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top, cook themfor 3 to 5 minutes (as in the case with the test gnocchi).When the gnocchi float to the top, you can start your sauce while you wait for themto finish cooking.Place the skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Swirl it gently a few timesas it melts. As soon as it melts and is incorporated with the water, turn off the heat.Your gnocchi should be cooked by now.With a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and gently dropinto the butter sauce. Carefully roll in the sauce until coated. Serve immediately.

Variations: For the gnocchi, you can flavour them however you wish. If you wantto experiment by adding something to your gnocchi (i.e., caramelized onion,sundried tomato), feel free to do so. However, be forewarned, ricotta gnocchi aredelicate and may not take well to elaborate additions. For the sauce, this is yourchance to go nuts.

Freezing the gnocchi: If you don’t want to cook your gnocchi right away or if youdon’t want to cook all of them, you can make them and freeze them. Once they areformed and resting on the flour-dusted, lined tray, place them uncovered in thefreezer. Leave them for several hours to freeze. Once frozen, place them in aplastic bag. Remove the air and seal the bag. Return to the freezer. To cook frozengnocchi, remove them from the bag and place individually on a plate or on a tray.Place in the refrigerator to thaw completely. Cook as directed for fresh gnocchi.